NJ Catholic school shuttered after 150 years

BORDENTOWN (AP) — A Catholic school that operated in central New Jersey for nearly 150 years has been shuttered.

Friday was the final day of classes for the 112 students who attended the St. Mary School in Bordentown. The Diocese of Trenton had announced in March that the school would close at the end of the school year due to declining enrollment and mounting financial difficulties.

A parents group tried unsuccessfully to fight the closure, claiming the school could be saved through better financial management. The school employed 19 faculty and staff members.

The St. Mary school was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in the mid-1800s. It was the first school founded by the Sisters of Mercy in New Jersey. The school building was constructed in 1888.